Indigenous Food Systems Network

Aboriginal peoples are among the most food insecure groups in Canada, yet their perspectives and knowledge are often sidelined
in mainstream food security debates. In order to create food security for all, Aboriginal perspectives must be included in food
security research and discourse. This project demonstrates a process in which Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal partners engaged in
a culturally appropriate and respectful collaboration, assessing the challenges and barriers to traditional foods access in the urban

Peruvian indigenous farmers have been angered by a government research
agency that has claimed it owns intellectual property (IP) rights over
more than fifty traditional varieties of potatoes bred in the Peruvian Andes.
The potatoes were bred not by government researchers but by indigenous farmers, who consider the claims to be an affront to their culture,knowledge and resources. In letters to the government, meetings, and a protest in the city of Cusco, the
farmers have insisted that the claims be dropped entirely.

Canada’s state and corporate wealth is largely based on subsidies gained from the theft of Indigenous lands and resources. Conquest in Canada was designed to ensure forced displacement of Indigenous peoples from their territories, the destruction of autonomy and self-determination in Indigenous self-governance and the assimilation of Indigenous peoples’ cultures and traditions.

Network Environments for Aboriginal Research - British Columbia (NEARBC) is a website and list serv service hosted by the Centre for Aboriginal Health Research. It focuses on Aboriginal children, youth, adults, and Elders' health across BC and further afield. There you can find news, events, job opportunities, and an abstracts database, and you can also subscribe to the e-news which is published every Friday.